I completely agree this thread is one of the best on BDC because of the mutal respect of all the contributors. It's going to be sad as the draft approaches and it's taken over by the Johnny come lately's who complained about a draft thread starting in early Sept and then act like they know everything there is to know about prospects, but it will happen again. Until then this thread is always greatly appriciated and I like the back and forth about prospects. I can't wait until after this weekend when things really start to pick up. I've though about this a long time ago, but how great would it be if we could have a draft website (similar to NEPatriotsDraft) to pull this collective knowledge in but I don't think any of us have the time for it. That's the best part about this thread though, is individually there is no way any of us could spend the time to gather all those info, but collectively it's like a little mini scouting department for fans

I completely agree this thread is one of the best on BDC because of the mutal respect of all the contributors. It's going to be sad as the draft approaches and it's taken over by the Johnny come lately's who complained about a draft thread starting in early Sept and then act like they know everything there is to know about prospects, but it will happen again. Until then this thread is always greatly appriciated and I like the back and forth about prospects. I can't wait until after this weekend when things really start to pick up. I've though about this a long time ago, but how great would it be if we could have a draft website (similar to NEPatriotsDraft) to pull this collective knowledge in but I don't think any of us have the time for it. That's the best part about this thread though, is individually there is no way any of us could spend the time to gather all those info, but collectively it's like a little mini scouting department for fans

i would like to see some polling from time to time on players we are all bringing up. This way, If I miss a day or two, I can get a quick pulse on what the regulars think of a certain player. Also, maybe periodic mocks posted by guys here...some more detailed analysis and contributions around FA...if we did all this maybe we can sell advertising space back to BDC

Below is a mock with the players that I have in mind for NE's current draft slots (Pre-Combine/Pro-Days)... I would love to add Jon Cyprien to this list, but I think he'll be off the board somewhere in between their Rd 1 and 2 pick (similar to CB Logan Ryan and WR Quinton Patton)... heck, he may work his way onto my Rd 1 board before all is said and done. I've also mocked Tank as a Rd 1 option as I think that's where his talent level is... would love to land him at the end of Rd 2, but that may not be possible.

Curious on who everyone else is high one, where you project them?

Rd 1:DT Jesse Williams- Alabama (6-3 320) I donâÂÂt see many players in this class that make more sense for what BB values in a player, an at a premium position for his defensive philosophy.He can immediately step in along side VW and projects as his heir apparent as their primary interior defender.

Rd 2:S DJ Swearinger (5-11 210) BB targets a banger for his secondaryâÂ¦ a kid that can come in and add some much needed swagger and physicality to the back of his his defense.This kid is a leader on the field, has played a ton of quality football in the SEC and fits a real need.

Rd 3: CB Darius Slay (6-1 190) Good size/speed/movement ability combo, he excels as a cover CB, displaying good awareness and ball skills and will also provide value on ST.He fills another need on the defensive side of the ball, providing size and talent on the perimeter.HeâÂÂs a rising prospect.

Hard to not like that mock MB. I like Jesse Williams and the potential he brings. Kid is a monster against the run, can collapse the pocket and play all along the DL...love that versatility. Swearinger is the enforcer we need back there, he is growing on me. Slay I don't know much about..but I do like his size and speed...

Below is a mock with the players that I have in mind for NE's current draft slots (Pre-Combine/Pro-Days)... I would love to add Jon Cyprien to this list, but I think he'll be off the board somewhere in between their Rd 1 and 2 pick (similar to CB Logan Ryan and WR Quinton Patton)... heck, he may work his way onto my Rd 1 board before all is said and done. I've also mocked Tank as a Rd 1 option as I think that's where his talent level is... would love to land him at the end of Rd 2, but that may not be possible.

Curious on who everyone else is high one, where you project them?

Rd 1:DT Jesse Williams- Alabama (6-3 320) I donâÂÂt see many players in this class that make more sense for what BB values in a player, an ad a premium position for this defensive philosophy.He can immediately step in along side VW and projects as his heir apparent as their primary interior defender.

Rd 2:S DJ Swearinger (5-11 210) BB targets a banger for his secondaryâÂ¦ a kid that can come in and add some much needed swagger and physicality to the back of his his defense.This kid is a leader on the field, has played a ton of quality football in the SEC and fits a real need.

Rd 3: CB Darius Slay (6-1 190) Good size/speed/movement ability combo, he excels as a cover CB, displaying good awareness and ball skills and will also provide value on ST.He fills another need on the defensive side of the ball, providing size and talent on the perimeter.HeâÂÂs a rising prospect.

i would like to see some polling from time to time on players we are all bringing up. This way, If I miss a day or two, I can get a quick pulse on what the regulars think of a certain player. Also, maybe periodic mocks posted by guys here...some more detailed analysis and contributions around FA...if we did all this maybe we can sell advertising space back to BDC

Becareful what you ask for:

Rd 1:DT Jonathan Hankins- Ohio (6-4 325) It might be a wet dream at this point but there seems to be more and more suggesting he might make it to the back of the 1st. This kid is big, strong, and has a non-stop motor. Excellent in the run game and has some well polished rushing moves but lacks that initial explosiveness to burst through the line. More of a pocket pusher will consistently put pressure on a QB driving him into the edges. His versatility will make him even more valuable as he's comfortable as a 43 DT, 34 DE and 34 NT.

Rd 2:CB Will Davis Utah State (5-11 182) Davis has a special combination of athletic ability, size, and speed for a corner. He's a physical CB who isn't afraid to take on even TE's at the line with excellent hands recording an int in 5 straight games along with 17 break ups and 22 PDs. He was invisible at the senior bowl which may lead to concern he can't compete at the next level but he was one of the most dominant CB's in college football last year

Rd 3: WR Brandon Kaufman (6-5 214) Coming from a FCS school not many know about Kaufman but I think after the combine his name is going to shoot up peoples boards. Kaufman is a large physical WR that plays more like a TE with excellent hands and ability to box out DBs. He makes very tough catches and can out jump almost everyone around him. He'll fight for the ball and at the line with an enormous catching radius. The biggest knocks against him are his college, his slower mid 4.6 speed, that he has trouble gaining separation/open field ability, and that he missed the 11' season after injury to both hand and knee. To compensate however Kaufman has developed techniques to beat quicker CB's which includes bumping the CB at the line and driving him on his heels. If he stayed in school another year to develop he could have easily been in conversation as an early 2nd round or even slip into the 1st type of WR. He also has a very high motor, blocking ability, and plays hurt Sounds like a BB guy to me.

Rd 7:CB Tyrann Mathieu- LSU (5-9 175) Some don't think Mathieu will escape the mid rounds just because of talent alone. But, given failed rehab, an arrest in Oct, and being out of football this past year it wouldn't shock me to see the honey badger drop completely out of the draft. Mathieu has a ton of talent almost winning the Heisman but off field issues derailed what would have been a sure 1st round pick. He's the low risk high reward player loves to take a chance on and could become one of the best slot CB's in the game, if he can screw his head back on

Rd 7: SS Ray Ray Armstrong- Faulkner (6-4 220) My trend of looking for fallen stars in the 7th continues with Ray Ray. His off-field issues are a concern but on field he's a top 100 talent with amazing size and physical ability. If anyone can get the kid mentally right he'd be the steal of the draft in the back of the 7th. It's not everyday you get a 6'4" 220lb S that runs mid 4.5's is an imposing hitter and has decent hands. His stock drops after a number of incidents involving PR firms. Hopefully being picked in the back of the 7th is enough to knock it through this kids head to play by the rules.

Nice Mock, Eng. I love the idea of looking at troubled stars in the 7th. Either they will shape up and become quality players for us, or they can get cut. Not much of a risk since it's only a 7th rounder. I really like Kaufman too, as I mentioned earlier. I'd really love to see us acquire a 4th or 5th rounder and then take Kaufman a bit later, but he is one of those guys who might see his stock rise significantly if he can turn a few heads at the combine. In the end, 3rd round might be a good landing spot for him.

Hard to not like that mock MB. I like Jesse Williams and the potential he brings. Kid is a monster against the run, can collapse the pocket and play all along the DL...love that versatility. Swearinger is the enforcer we need back there, he is growing on me. Slay I don't know much about..but I do like his size and speed...

Question..does your mock assume we resign Talib?

Thanks, man... I generally try to mock on the assumption that the roster is as it stands today... certainly FA could change my projection down the road, but I like for that activity to take player first, vs. making assumptions.

What I will say is that I think CB depth could be an issue even if they do sign Talib (i.e. Ras-I's durability and Dennard's sentencing which is TBD, though it may be short if any).

i would like to see some polling from time to time on players we are all bringing up. This way, If I miss a day or two, I can get a quick pulse on what the regulars think of a certain player. Also, maybe periodic mocks posted by guys here...some more detailed analysis and contributions around FA...if we did all this maybe we can sell advertising space back to BDC

Becareful what you ask for:

Rd 1:DT Jonathan Hankins- Ohio (6-4 325) It might be a wet dream at this point but there seems to be more and more suggesting he might make it to the back of the 1st. This kid is big, strong, and has a non-stop motor. Excellent in the run game and has some well polished rushing moves but lacks that initial explosiveness to burst through the line. More of a pocket pusher will consistently put pressure on a QB driving him into the edges. His versatility will make him even more valuable as he's comfortable as a 43 DT, 34 DE and 34 NT.

Rd 2:CB Will Davis Utah State (5-11 182) Davis has a special combination of athletic ability, size, and speed for a corner. He's a physical CB who isn't afraid to take on even TE's at the line with excellent hands recording an int in 5 straight games along with 17 break ups and 22 PDs. He was invisible at the senior bowl which may lead to concern he can't compete at the next level but he was one of the most dominant CB's in college football last year

Rd 3: WR Brandon Kaufman (6-5 214) Coming from a FCS school not many know about Kaufman but I think after the combine his name is going to shoot up peoples boards. Kaufman is a large physical WR that plays more like a TE with excellent hands and ability to box out DBs. He makes very tough catches and can out jump almost everyone around him. He'll fight for the ball and at the line with an enormous catching radius. The biggest knocks against him are his college, his slower mid 4.6 speed, that he has trouble gaining separation/open field ability, and that he missed the 11' season after injury to both hand and knee. To compensate however Kaufman has developed techniques to beat quicker CB's which includes bumping the CB at the line and driving him on his heels. If he stayed in school another year to develop he could have easily been in conversation as an early 2nd round or even slip into the 1st type of WR. He also has a very high motor, blocking ability, and plays hurt Sounds like a BB guy to me.

Rd 7:CB Tyrann Mathieu- LSU (5-9 175) Some don't think Mathieu will escape the mid rounds just because of talent alone. But, given failed rehab, an arrest in Oct, and being out of football this past year it wouldn't shock me to see the honey badger drop completely out of the draft. Mathieu has a ton of talent almost winning the Heisman but off field issues derailed what would have been a sure 1st round pick. He's the low risk high reward player loves to take a chance on and could become one of the best slot CB's in the game, if he can screw his head back on

Rd 7: SS Ray Ray Armstron- Faulkner (6-4 220) My trend of looking for fallen stars in the 7th continues with Ray Ray. His off-field issues are a concern but on field he's a top 100 talent with amazing size and physical ability. If anyone can get the kid mentally right he'd be the steal of the draft in the back of the 7th. It's not everyday you get a 6'4" 220lb S that runs mid 4.5's is an imposing hitter and has decent hands. His stock drops after a number of incidents involving PR firms. Hopefully being picked in the back of the 7th is enough to knock it through this kids head to play by the rules.

*I'd be more than happy with Hankins.

*I'm surprised that you had Davis ove McFadden.

*I'll have to give Kaufman a look.

*I like the value/risk/reward of the 7th rounders... though I don't think Mathieu makes it that far... if he does, he makes a lot of sense.

*From one AFC college personnel director: “There are no sure bet corners in this draft. It’s one of the weakest corner drafts I seem in a while. The super athletic guys can't cover and press, and the ones who can aren't that athletic.”

The only reason I took Davis over McFadden in honesty is size. 5'9" compared to 5'11" closer to 6' makes a difference in this case. Both players look great and I think either would fit well in the slot

*I'll have to give Kaufman a look.

*I like the value/risk/reward of the 7th rounders... though I don't think Mathieu makes it that far... if he does, he makes a lot of sense.

I don't think he falls that far either but the failing out of rehab is going to make a ton of teams drop him off the board right completely, esp since there was a recent incident. Some team might take a shot with him but then again we could have said the same thing about Dennard last year

i would like to see some polling from time to time on players we are all bringing up. This way, If I miss a day or two, I can get a quick pulse on what the regulars think of a certain player. Also, maybe periodic mocks posted by guys here...some more detailed analysis and contributions around FA...if we did all this maybe we can sell advertising space back to BDC

Hey PL,

Yeah, it'd be cool to see everyone post their draft boards. I kinds wish this thread was still pinned to the top of the BDC board, was fun to watch folks have mental breakdowns over it for the short period of time that it was.

i would like to see some polling from time to time on players we are all bringing up. This way, If I miss a day or two, I can get a quick pulse on what the regulars think of a certain player. Also, maybe periodic mocks posted by guys here...some more detailed analysis and contributions around FA...if we did all this maybe we can sell advertising space back to BDC

Hey PL,

Yeah, it'd be cool to see everyone post their draft boards. I kinds wish this thread was still pinned to the top of the BDC board, was fun to watch folks have mental breakdowns over it for the short period of time that it was.

Agree. Especially with Dennard on the other side. it would be nice to have big corners. Now if Ras could step up we would be set.

this is primarily the reason I like MB's kid in the 3rd...Darius Slay. He has dowling like size , and a decent cover corner.

Question for the group...where do you stack Rhodes against some of the kids mentioned here for corner in round 3? Meaning, if Rhodes was still on the board around the mod 40's, early fifties, do you move up to get him? Do you see him much if any better than Slay, Davis or McFadden?

Smallest hands of any WR, Marquise Goodsen & Ryan Swope. This is an under-rated aspect of any WR. I'm not saying that these guys with tiny hands can't catch, but it certainly makes it more difficult for them.

EWU WR Brandon Kaufman came in at 6'5" 216. If he runs well & shows decent agility he could in fact be a 3rd round pick.

National Football Post's Russ Lande says Cincinnati DE/OLB Walter Stewart could go in the top 40. "Do not be surprised if StewartâÂÂs back passes some physicals if he ends up being a top 40 selection in the Draft," Lande wrote. Stewart has been getting publicity since getting a second opinion that has allowed him to play football. Most recently, Mike Mayock said Stewart could be a top 10 pick if his medicals check out.

Sh!t, I had forgotten about him... thought I had read that his injury could be career ending, good that his 2nd opinion says differently... below is what I had posted about him on 9/7:

This kid looks the part, good length (seen him listed anywhere from 6-3 to 6-5, but the kid looks to have long arms), explosive off the edge, good motor and plays a physical brand of football... ended last nights game with (2) sacks and a FF.

In rearching him, he's a converted LB (which will appeal to 34 teams) which helped him develop solid instincs as evident by his (8) passes defended last year, he was also 2nd on the team to Derek Wolfe with (6) sacks and 4th with (11) TFL last season.

Teammate and fellow DE Dan Giordano 6-3 260, was another kid that stood out due to his motor and ability to get after it. He had a solid JR season as well registering (5) sacks and 9 TFL.

Looks like your boy Goodwin is listed (combine doesn't generally use fractional measurements for height like you see at the SB) about 2 inches and 10 pounds bigger than Ace (5-9 183 vs. 5-7 173)... while Ace has bigger hands (8.78 vs. 8.58) per Combine measurements.

Your boy Chris Gragg had the best TE 40 time, 4.50... could be an interesting Day 3 option as you've mention as that flex/matchup problem type player.

Also good to see Jake Stoneburner measure in a 6-3 252 and drop a 4.65... interested to see if the Urban/Vrabel connection could come into play on Day 3 as well.

On another note, Rutgers LB Khaseem Greene measured in a lot bigger than expected (241 vs. his listed 225 or so)... kid's gonna get a tone of Rd 1 looks if he hasn't already... kid's a very productive playmaker.

Your boy Chris Gragg had the best TE 40 time, 4.50... could be an interesting Day 3 option as you've mention as that flex/matchup problem type player.

Also good to see Jake Stoneburner measure in a 6-3 252 and drop a 4.65... interested to see if the Urban/Vrabel connection could come into play on Day 3 as well.

On another note, Rutgers LB Khaseem Greene measured in a lot bigger than expected (241 vs. his listed 225 or so)... kid's gonna get a tone of Rd 1 looks if he hasn't already... kid's a very productive playmaker.

I saw, also a 37.5 vertical. Kid look like he had solid hands in the catching drills but wandering feet on the line. Still 6'3" 235 with good verticle and 4.5 speed wow. Could be interesting if he makes it to the 7th or UDFA. Given the depth at TE that is possible